Panasonic Breadmakers Tips and Quick Questions Thread

silver-oldie

Hi
Sorry if this has been asked before, have looked but haven't read all 66 pages.
I have just been given a Panasonic SD254, as the previous owner says bread sticks in the pan.
Thought I would start with a bread mix.
Have bought Wrights Malty bread mix but I'm totally confused on what setting /time to use.
Would be most grateful for any help.
Thank you

JulieM

Wright's usually state on their packaging that their mixes work best on programmes under 3 hours. I would use the basic rapid programme which is about 2 hours. I've never tried the malty bread mix, but I've used the basic rapid programme for both sourdough mix and sun dried tomato and parmesan mix and it works very well.

silver-oldie

Thank you
I'll give it a go in the morning.

silver-oldie

JulieM wrote: »

Wright's usually state on their packaging that their mixes work best on programmes under 3 hours. I would use the basic rapid programme which is about 2 hours. I've never tried the malty bread mix, but I've used the basic rapid programme for both sourdough mix and sun dried tomato and parmesan mix and it works very well.

Thank you, tried the basic rapid programme and it produced a lovely loaf

Honey_Bear

I've recently bought another secondhand Panasonic, upgrading to one with a nut dispenser. (I've given my lovely old reliable one to a young couple who've just had a baby and they love it. It worked beautifully and the only failure I ever had was when I forgot to put the yeast in once. I've since given up red wine ....)


I've tried everything with this newer one but I think its temperture control must be too hot and wondered if anyone else had ever come across this problem. I've tried baking with favourite recipes and different pre-mixes but the loaves all come out darker baked on the crust and only rise to half the height that I'm used to.



It wasn't expensive, £20, and if it's relatively easy to sort out I won't have to junk the machine but I've never had a problem with a Panasonic before and wondered if anyone else has come across this.



Any and all suggestions appreciated. Many thanks.

Topcat2007

I have a 2500 model. At first the loaves were good, but now I always get a flying crust, where the crust lifts off the loaf. Taste fine but can be difficult to slice. Have asked Panasonic but not much help, only suggesting more or less water, but I am following their recipe so it should work. Has anyone else had this problem? Thanks.

Ms_W

are the running costs expensive ,thought some loafs take 3/5 hours to bake

Honey_Bear

Ms_W wrote: »

are the running costs expensive ,thought some loafs take 3/5 hours to bake

When you take the price of ingredients and the price of electricity into consideration - no. It's cheaper than buying shop bought bread, no matter where you usually do. In terms of electricity a breadmaker is a lot cheaper than putting the oven on to bake a homemade loaf - running the oven is incredibly expensive.



I haven't done any costings recently but when I did, a normal loaf that cost £1 in the shops, I could make for 45p.

ianpwilliams

I bought a Panasonic breadmaker from John Lewis recently and I love it, the wholemeal loaves and the maple/pecan loaves from the bread maker manual are really tasty. But I’ve been struggling to find recipe books that don’t have American cup measurements, and I’ve been struggling to find a good cranberry/pecan recipe (M&S do an amazing cranberry/pecan loaf and I’d like to make something similar).

When it comes to adapting existing recipies from the bread maker manual, how much can you play around with it? For example if I wanted to make the whole meal loaf and add dried cranberries and pecans to it, would that be ok? And if so, what kind of amounts would I be looking at (bearing in mind that the whole meal loaf can be one of three sizes)?

Also I think the M&S loaf might be sourdough bread so I may have to adapt a sourdough recipe.

The large maple/pecan loaf required 3 tablespoons of maple syrup and 75g of chopped pecans, which I once increased to 100g and that worked well. So for a large whole meal loaf I’m wondering if I could add maybe 50g of dried cranberries and 50g of chopped pecans, but that’s just a guess.

Honey_Bear

ianpwilliams wrote: »

I bought a Panasonic breadmaker from John Lewis recently and I love it, the wholemeal loaves and the maple/pecan loaves from the bread maker manual are really tasty. But I’ve been struggling to find recipe books that don’t have American cup measurements, and I’ve been struggling to find a good cranberry/pecan recipe (M&S do an amazing cranberry/pecan loaf and I’d like to make something similar).

When it comes to adapting existing recipies from the bread maker manual, how much can you play around with it? For example if I wanted to make the whole meal loaf and add dried cranberries and pecans to it, would that be ok? And if so, what kind of amounts would I be looking at (bearing in mind that the whole meal loaf can be one of three sizes)?

Also I think the M&S loaf might be sourdough bread so I may have to adapt a sourdough recipe.

The large maple/pecan loaf required 3 tablespoons of maple syrup and 75g of chopped pecans, which I once increased to 100g and that worked well. So for a large whole meal loaf I’m wondering if I could add maybe 50g of dried cranberries and 50g of chopped pecans, but that’s just a guess.

The recipes that use cup measurements are all American and search engine results usually throw them up first. Most UK sites use weights, and measures for liquids. If you like the American recipes I suggest you either buy a set of measuring cups from Wilco (or wherever) or just work out the volume in each size using the internet. I'm still confused as to what half a cup of butter looks like because they never say it should be melted so I just avoid them.



When it comes to adding ingredients that you particularly like that you can't find an existing recipe for, it's time to experiment. I add three tablespoons of seeds, sunflower or pumpkin, to most 50:50 loaves and it doesn't seem to affect the rise or bake at all. If they're dry ingredients start off by adding one tablespoon of each and see how that works. You can then build it up to the optimum level, which might be even nicer than the M&S one.



Check the ingredient list on the M&S bag to see if they've added any other ingredients to broaden out the flavour; it might not just be fruit and nuts. A teaspoon of a herb or spice might be just the thing that makes all the difference. Start off very cautiously and you won't waste any bakes that are too strongly flavoured, and that amount won't affect the bake in terms of the wet and dry ingredients balance.



If you do ever bake a loaf that's too strongly flavoured, slice it chunkily and break it up, shove it in a food processor and make breadcrumbs with it. The excess flavouring won't be too much if you use them as a topping or coating for something.



The other option is to read this thread from the beginning when you have time. There are hundreds of suggestions, queries and answers and you may find your own one has already been answered. Either way, it'll give you masses of ideas to play around with, and a wealth of new knowledge.


Someone else may be along in a moment with the exact answer to your query, but the threads been very quite for a few months so I thought I'd see if I could help.